Geldof on marriage - Grrr!

[Sheila]

Anyone see this appallingly unbalanced programme last night? Bob's solution to the current breakdown in marriage is:

1)Women (who initiate 70% of divorces) should learn to put up with men's emotional illiteracy.
2)Divorce should be made more difficult.
3) Single parents should be made less well off (hah!)

Clearly Bob's still smarting from being thrown over for Michael Hutchence ("Taj Mahal of crotches" - that must've hurt).

As for Germaine Greer's contribution - how that woman can call herself a feminist any more is beyond me!

Sorry for the rant but I'm still fuming that someone with such ill-thought out views is given air time. I also worry that his views might influence policy-makers. As if reducing benefits to low income families (single parent or not) is going to decrease the divorce rate!

not arguing with him on developing countries and famine, he clearly knows an awful lot more than me and has done amazing things, but don't think that qualifies him to be the world's leading expert on putting uppity women back in the kitchen chained to the sink barefoot and pregnant.

Aw c'mon October - that's a bit mean! - I've never been a fan but I have to applaud him for that! Who could fail to be moved by those graphic images we saw - he saw and did something about it and good on him!

Agree with Edam

edam - that's not the message I was hearing at all.

I must admit that alot of what Bob says is relevant to my family - my Mum kept us away from my Dad for years after their divorce, to this day I find it hard bonding with my Dad. She was just being bloody minded about maintance and arguments between them.

If I was not allowed to see my ds like that I would be really mad. Dont agree with everything he says, but some of it makes sense.

I didn't see the programme but I love Bob. Sorry.

Message withdrawn

Absolute filth NdeP

anyone watching geldof on fathers? just had to turn off the telly cos it is making me cross. he really likes to feel sorry for himself doesn't he?

I'd have had a go....

Definitely an 'anything goes' man.

I'm taping - no doubt I'll be back tomorrow with a contrary view to everyone else - oh well makes life interesting!

IN the spirit of discussion I think he makes some valid points

marriage is taken too lightly ... I liked the old couple who when asked how they'd kept their relatinship said that they'd got married ... BUT I didn't see more than 5 minutes of it

have just watched 10 mins of the on fathers one and again I have sympathy for his position .. why should only 6% of fathers get custody and why should saying you love your children in court be a bad thing to do if you're a man

I agree with you Amfs

why shouldn't it be mostly mums who get custody? surely it should be about what's best for the children and it might be that in most cases living with their mum is best.

agree that marriage is taken too lightly though

Ok - explain this to me. I just came on here and said that, even though I haven't watched the programmes, I love Bob. I do - I know he's a grumpy old git and bitter and maudlin but I think he's a truly decent bloke.

So why...when I just went downstairs to say goodnight to dh, who is watching the programme, did I toe the MN line?!

Dh: "Oh, he's talking a lot of sense here.." Me: "Really, he's getting a hammering on MN."
Dh: Blah, blah, blah, one-sided man speak [I paraphrase]
Me: Yeah well you would say that, being a man and all...feminist rant [paraphrased also]

Don't think we're speaking now

I might love Bob, but I'm in the MN sisterhood/coven too

Well I liked the programme! (tonight's - I didn't see it yesteeday)

Why should fathers have so little access to their kids? My sister is currently going through a divorce... it's very nasty and she now HATES her ex so much that she is very reluctantly letting him see his 3 and 1 year old ! Her own lawyer has told her off 3 times (that she has admitted to!) already for refusing him pre-agreed access.....
Her 3 yo says he hates daddy.... I mean what is she doing????
My BIL is not a bad guy, he just said he wanted to leave her as he was very unhappy and he didn't really want to go to counselling... OK so no points there but this is a man she loved 1 year ago and now she despises ! This has a massive impact on the kids

Moo, LoL @ blah blah blah comment

LOU!!! GET OFF HERE NOW AND GO AND CLEAN YOUR FILTHY KITCHEN!!!!!

It's clean, she cleaned it today!

SallyS - I would argue black was white with dh sometimes - but he just can't match me for verbal dexterity and cutting edge debating skills. He is a mere man, after all . He really did say blah, blah, blah, lou - at least that's what it sounded like

Re fathers getting custody - and nowt to do with Geldof - but has anybody else clocked that Charlotte Wyatt's father has 3 children from earlier marriage who he is barred from seeing? (Used to take them on pub crawls.) He is only allowed to communicate by mail. And after the verdict he got pissed and rang the hospital and threatened the staff.

Times .

It seems that for every good-but-badly-treated father there are a handful of other ones who are crackers.

well you're all going to hate me now but i think dads have too many rights. i'm quite scared by the fact that ds's dad could just turn up in a few years time and say that he wants to see ds and i can't legally stop him. as far as i'm concerned he has no right to be part of ds's life now or ever and ds would be better off with one happy parent than one miserable mum and a guy that he hardly knows trying to be his dad.

think a lot of people would disagree with me and say that a child needs his father if its at all possible but i dont think thats true in every situation.